Steak Recipes

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’m sure many of you have turkey on the brain. For those of you who don’t really much care for turkey meat, here’s a steak recipe that still manages to capture some of the flavors of the season. Specifically, I made a cranberry-flavored cream cheese that I stuffed into the steaks. I was inspired by a chicken recipe I recently made with a filling of Granny Smith apples. The only difference is beef doesn't need to marinate overnight. Allow beef to marinate for at least 15 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes. I used my usual meat tenderizer (green papaya paste).

After stuffing the steaks with cranberry cheese filling, I sealed them with twine. I gave them a quick searing and then transferred the steaks to the oven to bring them to a perfect medium-rare. The cranberries bring a hint of tartness to the beef in addition to fitting perfectly on your (non-traditional) Thanksgiving table.

Today I tested a rolled stuffed steak recipe for my Labor Day menu. I grilled the steak on the barbecue. First, I made a red olive tapenade and used it as the spread for the steaks. I selected boneless beef round as it's a leaner cut of meat.

The marinade I prepared served both as the meat tenderizer and the sauce. It was a simple mix of olive oil and lemon juice. I used California Olive Ranch olive oil, which I just received in the mail. The extra virgin olive oil is fragrant with bold, fruity notes. It imparted a very distinct and pleasant flavor to the beef, and I would definitely use it again.

I enjoyed the olive oil so much that I asked Kirsten from California Olive Ranch if we could give away a bottle to Pham Fatale readers. Kirsten very kindly agreed, and has generously offered not one, but three bottles! We’re planning on selecting three winners at random this week, with the first giveaway starting today.

For a chance to win the first bottle, all you need to do is complete the form below the description. It should take about 30 seconds. Please use a VALID email address because this is how we will contact you if you win! The 30th of August is the deadline; any entries after that date will be not qualify for the giveaway. I will randomly pick the first winner and announce the name on Wednesday, August 31st.

And for those of you who can't wait to try California Olive Ranch olive oil, head over to their online store, enter coupon code BLOGFRIENDS, and enjoy a 10% discount (for Pham Fatale readers)!

California Olive Ranch Giveaway Entry Form:

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Though I live in a house full of vegetarians, once in a while, I enjoy a tender and juicy steak. I’ve been getting the urge lately, so I bought a sirloin steak to satisfy my cravings. This time around I marinated it in an Asian-inspired sweet and savory sauce. I combined sugar, coriander, chiles, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice; the ingredients are very common in Vietnamese cuisine.

The meat doesn't require a long marinating time, which I love. A quick sear and you’ll have a perfectly juicy steak. I let the meat cool to temperature, then slice it into long strips against the grain, so the meat remains tender. The beef is scattered over a bed of mixed Vietnamese mint, cilantro and lettuce leaves, along with a bowl of rice vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, shredded cucumber and pickled carrots and daikon. My condiment of choice though: nước mắm (Vietnamese fish sauce). It may not be on your list, but it’s one of my favorites. No matter what you serve with this steak though, you will have a delicious meal!

When you have a good quality cut of beef, such as sirloin steak (called faux-filet or entrecôte in French), you don't want to overpower the flavor of the meat. That goal is accomplished in this recipe by keeping the prep work simple. I season the steaks with pepper, garlic and thyme. C'est tout! ("That's it"). The steaks are seared and grilled to create a crust, and then they're transferred to the oven to bring them to a perfect medium-rare. Once out of the oven, finish the meat with a sprinkling of sea salt. I wait to add the salt till after the beef is cooked so it doesn't draw moisture out of the meat.

I live in a house full of vegetarians, so I haven't had a tender, juicy steak in a while. It was quite a treat to be able to go to the store and get some premium cuts of beef (entrecôte) to make this dish. Good quality meat should be red and shiny, and the texture should be firm and elastic, with a very subtle scent. I found a couple of nice steaks and had fun cooking them up with my little munchkin, who is the only other meat eater in our house. She approved, and I imagine that if you make this dish in your home, your family will as well.

I love steaks. I'm a total carnivore, but I don't get to eat them that often because there are so many vegetarians in my house. Whenever we cook steaks at home, it's a special occasion (for me ).

I chose a tri tip sirloin steak because the meat is tender and very lean. There isn't a lot of fat on it for those of you who are health conscious (though red meat isn't that healthy to begin with - everything in moderation!). It's also fairly cheap compared to other cuts, such as rib-eye. I grill it, then slice it thin and serve it with a salad. I love it.